Two boxes short on the last wall
The tiler is on the final wall behind the bath. Two boxes short. The office rings the supplier, who has plenty of that tile, but not in the batch that was delivered. The new boxes arrive and the shade is slightly different. Side by side on the same wall it is noticeable. The customer notices.
Now the choice is to tile an odd wall with a visible shade change, take down what is up, or wait for the original batch to be found somewhere else.
Where the tile numbers go wrong
Tile quantities are usually worked out from a quick area calculation during design. The real job has niches, boxing, window reveals, feature strips, cuts around the bath and a pattern that may waste more than a straight lay. Batch codes are printed on the boxes and rarely written down.
- Areas are estimated from overall wall sizes, ignoring reveals, niches and boxed pipes.
- Wastage allowance varies by who does the sum and does not reflect the layout pattern.
- Large format tiles and herringbone patterns cut differently from standard layouts.
- Batch and shade codes are not recorded at delivery.
- Spare tiles for future repairs are not planned or left with the customer.
What a short or mismatched batch costs
A tiler waiting for tiles is a tiler you are paying or losing to another job. A mismatched batch can mean lifting finished work. Ordering too much to be safe ties up money in returns that suppliers may charge to restock. And a customer who sees a shade change on their new wall is not going to forget it.
The tile schedule we build
- From the survey and design, each tiled surface is recorded with its size and the openings, niches and boxing that change it.
- The tile chosen for each surface brings its size, layout pattern and your wastage allowance for that pattern.
- Quantities are calculated per surface and rounded to boxes, with a line for spares left with the customer if your process includes them.
- At delivery, the batch, shade and calibre codes from the box labels are recorded, either typed or read from a photo of the label.
- If more tiles are needed, the reorder request quotes the original batch codes so the supplier can look for a match.
- The batch codes stay on the job record for any repair years later.
| Surface | Tile | Layout | Boxes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shower walls | Large format porcelain | Stack bond | From calculation |
| Feature wall | Small format ceramic | Herringbone | From calculation, higher allowance |
| Floor | Porcelain | Offset | From calculation |
| Spares | All tiles used | As your process sets |
Wastage allowances are your tilers' judgement for each pattern. The system applies them consistently, it does not decide them.
After the change
The tile order reflects the real room rather than a rough area. Tilers stop running out on the last wall. When a reorder is needed, it goes out with the batch codes, which gives the supplier the best chance of matching. And if the customer needs a tile replaced in the future, you know exactly which batch to look for.
The schedule also helps before the order goes in. Designers can show the customer how a pattern choice changes the number of boxes needed, which matters when a herringbone floor or a large format wall tile pushes the quantity up. Customers make that choice knowing what it means, and the tiler turns up to a stack of boxes that matches the room rather than a rough guess.
Is this your tiling problem?
- Tiles have run short mid-job more than once.
- Batch codes are not written down anywhere.
- You have had a visible shade difference on a finished wall.
- Wastage allowances depend on who does the sum.